Comment Re:What's the open alternative? (Score 2) 641
The Sony is a nice compact eReader, cheap ($119) for a true e-ink device, 512MB of onboard memory lets me store all I really need to read at a given moment, and with Calibre (an iTunes-like open source eBook manager), I can swap out content simply by plugging in my USB cable to my PC when I recharge the book's battery. Just make sure to not install the Sony library/store software stored on the internal flash-RAM drive that autoruns when you first plug in the reader.
Here are some perks of Calibre:
- All books are added to my library locally on my PC. I can back this library up to external media for easy restoration or storage on multiple PCs.
- eBook content can be imported in almost any format, and Calibre can convert them to known compatible formats for your eReader of choice, DRM-free.
- News content can be downloaded automagically by Calibre, daily, from all kinds of sources (with more being added with every version!).
- My content is managed by ME.
- Calibre has an integrated reader for use on the host PC directly, compatible with all the formats it supports.
Sure I don't have all that fancy 3G internet access/online library stuff through the reader, but I (as well as most other people) have a laptop for that. If I need new reading material, I'll just tether my laptop, download what I want, and sync it over to my reader for later.
I'm glad I started out on the right path, for once.